Angela Ponzini, a full-time
nursing mom from Menlo Park, California received a jury summons in December
1999. She knew that serving would be impossible until her daughter Meghan
was weaned so she jotted a note on the summons — “breast feeding my infant”
and returned it to the jury commissioner.

Five days later the
commissioner again demanded that Ponzini present herself for jury service.
“Personal inconvenience”, according to the court’s response, is not an
acceptable reason to avoid jury duty.

Threatened with being cited
for contempt of court and fearful of being forced into an untimely separation
from her child, Angela frantically contacted all her legislators.
Assemblyman Ted Lempert, D-San Carlos was sympathetic to Angela’s situation
and intervened with the San Mateo County jury commissioner who excused her
from jury duty.

Assemblyman Lempert went on
to sponsor Assembly Bill 1814, which requires that until a breast-fed child
is no longer nursing, the mother would be excused from jury service without
having to appear in court.

Florida Attorney, Elizabeth
Baldwin, a
national expert on breastfeeding and the law, endorsed this legislation. Ms.
Baldwin stated that “you can’t just separate a mom from her baby
like that. A
mother whose infant has not learned to take a bottle does not have the option
that many working mothers rely on — using a breast pump. You’ll
have milk leaking all over and painful breasts...but women are still told ‘tough cookies’.
They have to come in and explain all this to the judge, even if they have no
one to take care of the kids.”

Angela, who is not against
jury service, said, “I would gladly have served, but right now I’m
raising my child.” She further stated, “I would like to see the Legislature begin to
protect our nursing children and their mothers. Providing the best care and
nutrition for my child is not a personal inconvenience.”

Just weeks before she was
due to deliver her second child, Angela Ponzini testified on behalf of AB1814
before the state Assembly’s judiciary committee. Due to her initiative and
persistence, Angela Ponzini made a big difference for the mothers and children
in her state. On August 31, 2000, Assembly Bill 1814 was signed into law.

Assemblyman Lempert summed
up Angela’s inspiring story: “I introduced this bill because we need to
protect nursing mothers. But, it also demonstrates how one individual
can make a difference in our system of government.”

Sources:

·“Proposed Law would Excuse Nursing Moms from Jury Duty”, The
San Francisco Chronicle, March 14, 2000 by Maria Alicia Gaura